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Two firefighters were killed and one other wounded in northwest Idaho on Sunday when a gunman started a fireplace and then ambushed the responding firefighters, authorities talked about.

The third firefighter became stable but “struggling with for his existence” in the Kootenai Successfully being campus in Coeur d’Alene, about 30 miles east of Spokane, Washington, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris talked about at a news conference.

Particulars about what became described as a “inappropriate act” that has skittish the local community were scarce.

“We catch imagine … that the suspect started the fire, and we catch imagine that it became an ambush and it became intentional,” Norris talked about. “This became a complete ambush. These firefighters did now not have a probability.”

Norris also talked about the unidentified suspect became found boring on Canfield Mountain with a gun shut by. Officers exchanged fireplace with him, even supposing it’s now not obvious whether or now not police killed him, and no obvious motive has been established.

Idaho Converse Police will look at the replace of gunfire, while the local coroner will survey the causes of loss of life.

At 1:21 p.m. Sunday, firefighters were known as to a brush fireplace on Canfield Mountain, near Coeur D’Alene in northwest Idaho. At 2 p.m., firefighters reported that they were below fireplace. The blaze reportedly grew to about 20 acres overnight.

Kootenai County Fireplace Chief Chris Method talked about crews responded to a name for a routine brush fireplace in an dwelling where they had responded ahead of.

“The crews started a firefight and then started suppressing the fire to catch certain it didn’t climb up Canfield Mountain cherish we’ve performed dozens of instances in the previous, and then, as the sheriff talked about final evening, they were ambushed and they also by no manner had a probability,” he talked about.

Crews took quilt gradual bushes and a fireplace truck, and some climbed elevated on the mountain, Method talked about.

The mountain is widespread for rock climbing and ATV utilizing. Method talked about law enforcement had to support with getting civilians down safely.

“Here’s a whimsical tragedy,” he talked about.

As a precaution, Method talked about, police will accompany firefighters on every name in the arriving days.

The 2 slain firefighters, who have now not been identified, died on the plan to the Kootenai Successfully being campus in Coeur d’Alene, a effectively being facility spokesperson talked about. One became from the Coeur D’Alene Fireplace Department, and the various became from Kootenai County Fireplace and Rescue, authorities talked about.

Method talked about the firefighter from the Kootenai division became a 17-yr feeble. He remembered him as “a frontrunner in our division” and “any individual who cared about serving the neighborhood.”

“That’s what’s so heartbreaking. We’re talking about these that, as they did the day gone by, bustle towards hazard every single day, and this time it became factual unbelievable,” he talked about.

Bruce Mattare, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners in Kootenai County, talked about at a news conference that the neighborhood lost “two outstanding professionals of basically the most attention-grabbing quality.”

“June 29, 2025, is a day that we are in a position to now not forget in this neighborhood. It is the day homely showed his face,” he talked about.

“And I cannot fathom why someone would commit this form of inappropriate act. This roughly mindless violence is unparalleled here,” he added.

Edward A. Kelly, total president of the Worldwide Affiliation of Fireplace Opponents, talked about on X that the 2 firefighters were killed by a sniper in what he known as a “inappropriate act of violence.”

Spherical 300 law enforcement officers, collectively with local and federal forces, were occupied with the operation to hunt down the suspect, and a safe haven-in-predicament squawk became issued amid fears that there will had been a 2nd shooter. That squawk became lifted when police talked about there became finest one shooter.

Emergency products and companies took part in a procession of autos to honor the firefighters who were killed.